Adjusting mechanism



A March12,193s; L P, RUTH ETAL 1,993,808

ADJUSTING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 15, 1934 v Patented Mar. 12, 1935 l i UNITED 4linsiteNT OFFICE Y i 4teatros v -f v moslima ivmonANisMj; y Joseph P-Q.Rlith andzGeorgeH. Woelbing', Denver,

Colo., assignorsto The RuthCompany, Den f iver,iC ol o'.,ea, corporation of Colorado.

' l5 anism that the -presentinventionjhas beendesigned, although it fis adapted fora large4 rvariety of otheruses. y f

This invention relates;y moreparticularly, to a mechanism by which an adjustable membervcan .20 be automatically moved, by means of compressed air, intoeither one of rfour predetermined positions. v i f i This invention vcan bemost clearly described and will be most readily understoodwhen refer- 25 ence is had to the accompanying drawing inwhich .it has been A illustrated in itsy preferred embodiment, and in which:v .1 1 Fig. l is a diagram showing the principle of operation of the-invention;

v30 Fig. 2 is a ,diagram similar to that shown yin Fig. 1,'but in which' a species of gear wheel h been substituted for the lever;

Fig. 3 is another modication in which a differential gear mechanism has been g shown 4as .-35 substituted for the single gear in Fig. 2

Fig. Yi is vato-1o plan view of"l the mechanism showninFig. 3; Figz 5 is a vertical section throughthe-pre- Yferred embodiment ofthe invention;

240 Fig. 6 is a transverse 'section .taken on line Fig. 7l is a fragmentary section to a somewhat larger scale,` `showing a latching amechanismg. In the drawing reference numerals 8 repre- :145 sent cylindersinwhich are mounted for reciprocation, pistons 9." YAttached-to each piston isa pistonrodlo that extendsthroughone-of the cylinder heads, and hasgpivotallyjattached to it a connecting rod 11. The outer ends ofthe con- 50 nectin'g rods are Yjoi'ned'fby a lever V12..whichis preferably or" a length equalto the `distance bevtweenthe piston rods.' Air 'orv steam for other `fluidcan beintroduced to either end of the pistons zthrough the pipes 13 and 14. In the embodi- '5j5v'ment`shown in Fig; 1, thelcylindersare both of equal length the strokes of the pistons are the same. Securedto the leverl 12 is a rod 15 that carries the adjustable member 16. The different positions ofA the pivot pin 17 and of the adjustable Ymember have been designated by 5 vletters a, b, c, and d. If Awe assume that the piston in the upper cylinderv is moved'towards ithewrightfromthe fulll line to the dotted line position, then the end of the connecting lrod will Y move towards the position designated by b', and l0 @if the member 15v and the pivot pin 17 move in a straight line,- the lower kend of the lever where itis connectedwith the connecting rod will vmove to. the Vposition b'?. After the piston has moved, the pivot pin 17 will beat the point indil5 cated,b gandthe-member 16 will beat the point indicated by b. If .the lower piston-is now moved towards the-right vfrom the fullline towards the 1dottedline position, the vend of the connecting 'rod where itis; joined to the -leverv will be at .20

theA position-designated c, 'while the pivotal point `between the upper connecting rod and the lever vwill be at the point designated c. Duey to the'fact that the'pivot pin 17 has been shown as located below thevmiddle ofthe lever, the 'dis- `25 .tance ab is smaller-.than the distance b c, but by moving the pivotalv -point upto the center these two distances will be alike yand if the point of -connectionismoved to a point above the center, .thena b willbe largerthan b c. -With the parts 30A ishown-in their extreme righthand position, let

us now assume that the piston in the upper cylinder is `movedtowards the left .from the dotted to thefullline position..` The lever 12 will then --rotate until itsupper-point of pivotal connection 3-5 f with the connecting rod is at the point designated as d'A and at.' theysame time Ythe lower end will `beat the point Aindicated asy d", while the point 1 7 will-be located at d; When the lower piston is mOVedfrom the dotted to the full line position, 'the lever 12 will bemoved into full line position,

and thecycle'has been completed. It is clear wfrom'- the description giventhat by means of a mechanism like that illustrated in Fig. 1, a mem` ber 16 canibe'moved-to any one of yfour predetermined positions. By having the pivot fpoint 17 to: either side of the center, the two neutral points b and d can be spaced apart but if the pivotal connection `17 is at-the center of the lever, these two points will coincide. 50

In:1ig.` 2 the idea has been carried forwar slightly and-instead ofthe lever 12, a gear wheel 12a-fhas been substituted.'- This gear is provided with toothed segments 18 and the piston rods 11a are provided with rack teeth 19 that cooperate 55 with the gear segments 18. The adjusting member 15 has been shown as pivotally connected to member 12a at point 17a. The several positions of the adjustable member 16 have been indicated by letters a, b, c and d, the same as in Fig. 1.

Let us now assume that the piston in the upper cylinder is moved towards the right until it reaches the dotted line position, then the gear 12a will be rocked into the position indicated by dotted lines and designated by reference numeral 26. Owing to the rolling connection betweenthe gear and the rack of the lower piston rod, ,the movement of the part 12a will be slightly different from that of lever 12 in Fig. l, but will be substantially the same. After the upper piston has been moved, the member 16 will occupy the position indicated by letter b. The lower piston is now moved towards the right fromv full line to dotted line position, whereupon the gear` assumes the position indicated by reference numeral 21, and the member 16 the position indicated by letter c. If the upper piston is now moved towards the left, the gear will assume the position'indicated by reference numeral 22 and member 16 the position indicated by letter d and when the lower piston is returned to full line position, the gear will assume the position indicated byl full lines.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the idea has been carried jout still farther and instead of the lever or single gear, a differential gear mechanism has beenjemployed which comprises two compound gears 23 and 24 which are identical in shape and size. Each of these gears has a bevel gear 25 and a spur gear 26, and both'are rotatable about the axis of the shaft 27. Connected with the shaft 27 and extending radially therefrom, is a stub shaft 28 on which is pivoted a pinion'29. A stub shaft, as just stated, is carried by the shaft 27 andthe latter has attached to its upper endv a lever 30 to which the `adjusting member 15 is pivotally connected. The racks 11a` are operatively connected with the spur gears and therefore when the pistons are moved, they will produce a rotation of the gears corresponding to the extent and direction of the movement. Whenever' one of the gears 23 or 24 is'rotated relative to the other, itwill `produce afrotation of the shaft in a manner well understood.

Let us no-w assume that the piston in the upper cylinder in Fig. 3 is moved towards the right until it assumes the dotted line position. This will cause the wheel 23 to turn throughv a certain angle, thereby rotating the pinion 29 about its axis and rolling it a short distance along the gear 24 and this motion produces a slight angular movement of the shaft 27, which,v in this case, moves the crank arm 30 to the position indicated by b in Fig. 4 and moves the adjustable member 16 to the corresponding position. If the piston in the lower cylinder is moved towards the right from full line'to dotted line position, the lower gear wheel will be rotated and this will produce a V:furtherV movement of the stub shaft 28 inthe same direction, thereby moving the end of the crank arm to the position c in Fig. 4.

lt will be seen from Fig. 3 that the lower cylinder has been indicated as longer than the upper because, for the purpose for which the device is intended, the'distance b c is preferably larger than the distance Va b and the stub shaft can only be connected with the pinion vat the center of the latter, itis necessary to increase the length of the stroke of one of the pistons in order to obtain this discrepancy in the movement. By reversing the motion of the piston in the upper cured to the housing by means of bolts 61.

cylinder and moving it from dotted to full line position, the end of the crank arm is moved from c to d and when the piston in the lower cylinder is returned to full line position, the parts assume the position shown by full lines in Fig. 4.

The invention as outlined above is embodied in a practical mechanism which has been illustrated in Figs.y 5, 6 and 7. This mechanism consists of a housing formed of two parts 3l and 32, each of which is provided with a ange 33 that is perforated for the reception of securing bolts 34. The upper portion 31 of the housing has a central cylindrical opening 35, in which is located a roller bearing Y 36. This bearing is held in place by means ofV a. removable plate 37 that in turn is secured to the housing by means of bolts 38. An oil seal is provided which prevents oil from leaking out around the shaft 27. The inner surface of the housing member 31 has a downwardly extending circular bearing 39 and the lower member of the housing is also provided with a similar bearing 39. The lower housing has a cylindrical connection 40 that terminates in a Vflange 4l which is perforated for the reception of bolts 42 vby means of whichY it is attached to the clutch housing 43. An oil seal 44 is interposed between the flange 41 and the clutch housing 43. The

shaft 27 extends down into the interior of the clutch housing and is provided with a crank arm 30 to the end of which the adjusting lever 15 is pivotally connected. Rotatably mounted in the circular bearings 39 are gear wheels 23 and 24 which are each'provided with a bevel gear 25 and a spur gear 26. Surrounding the shaft 27 is a collar 45which is nonrotatablysecured to the shaft' and carries two oppositely extending stub shafts 46. Rotatably mounted on each stub shaft is a pinion 29. The collar is preferably provided with interconnected arms 47 and these are provided at their juncture with an opening 48 for the reception of theV outer end of the stub shaft so as to relieve the latter from excessive strains. Secured to the two housings 31 and 32 are cylinder and piston assemblies like those shown in Fig'. 6. Each of these assemblies consist of a cylinder 49 which is provided with cylinder heads 50 and 51. Located within the cylinder is a `piston 52 that is connected to'one end of the piston rod 53. This piston rod extends through an opening in the cylinder head 51 and terminates 'in a socket lportion 54, The cylinder head 5l has a cylindrical extension 55 that is provided with anoutwardly extending flange 56 perforated for the reception of the securing bolts 57 by means of which the assembly is fastened to the housing 3l. The inner end of member 55 has a bearing 59 through which a tubular rack 53 extends. The

`rack projects through the housing and has its other end slidably mounted in a bearing 60 se- The rack is provided with teeth 62 that cooperate with the spur teeth 26. The inner wall of the housing has a projection 63 that engages the outer surface of the rack bar and serves as a support `for the latter.

The rack bar is connected with the socket 54 by means of pins 64 that project through elongated openings `65 so that there will be a lost motion connection between the piston rod and the tubular rack. Located within the tubularrack is a bar 66 that has its outer end threadedly connected with the socket 54 as indicated at'67. The bar 66 is provided with notches A68. The rack is provided with openings in which arey located plugs 69. The inner ends of these plugs contact with the surface of the rod 66 or with both piston rods, whereby the control` with the bottoms ofthe notches. 'Ihe bearings through which the rack moves are provided with openings 70 in which arelocated balls 71 and springs 72. The outer ends of these springs are in contact with plugs '73 and the springs are under compression so as to tend constantly to move the balls inwardly. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 6, the ball at the left side of the housing will project into the opening in the rack Ybar substantially half its diameter, and therefore it will form a positive lock which holds the rack against accidental movement. If the piston 52 is moved towards the right. the rst Dart of this movement will cause the bar 66 to slide in the rack and move the plug 69 downwardly until it pushes the ball out of the opening, whereupon the rack is free toy move towards the right. ,When the bar 66 has moved to the right as far as it can, the notch 68 near the right end, will arrive at the position shown in Fig. lV and therefore when the opening in the rack comes into alignment with the ball '71 at the right side, this ball will drop into the opening in therack and latch the same against movement until the latch is released by a reverse movement of the piston. Each of the cylinders is provided with the same latching means and the cylinder assemblies are alike, except for the length of the stroke, which can be varied to obtain the differential movement required.

For the purpose of this explanation, the specific valve mechanism by means of which the flow of air is controlled does not need to be described in detail, as it is clearly possible to introduce and exhaust the air by means of l ordinary valves, but in Fig. 3 valves 74 have been diagrammatically shown and these are intended to represent valves that will alternately open the intake and exhaust from opposite ends of the piston, thereby enabling the operator to move the pistons in any direction.

From the above description it Will be apparen thatthe objects desired can be attained by speciiically diiferent mechanisms and theinvention is therefore considered broader than the practical embodiment shown and applicants desire to claim the invention as broadly as possible in View of the prior art and for this reason the v claims will be directed'as far as possible to the broadestaspect of the invention.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A mechanism for moving an adjustable member to a plurality of predetermined positions, comprising, in combination, two cylinders of unequal length and provided with cooperating pistons and piston rods, a control member opera-l tively connected with the adjustable member and member will have four adjusted positions, each corresponding to the extreme position of the pistons in the cylinders, and whereby the adjustable member will be moved to positions corresponding to the positions of the control member.

2. A mechanism for moving an adjustable member to either of several predetermined positions, comprising, in combination, a. differential gear mechanism having two spaced bevel gears mounted for rotation about the same axis, a shaft mounted for rotation about kthe axis of the bevel gears, a stub shaft attached to the shaft, a bevel pinion rotatably mounted on the stub shaft and in mesh with both bevel gears, means comprising a cylinder and a piston associated with each bevel gear wheel for rotating it through a given arc and in either direction, latching means for holding the other bevel gear against rotary movement while the iirst is turning, whereby the shaft to which the pinion is attached will be rotated, and means operated by the turning of the last mentioned shaft for moving the adjustable member.

3. A mechanism for moving a member for adjusting its position, comprising, in combination, a movable pivot, means for transmitting movement from the pivot to the member to be adjusted, a lever attached to the pivot at a pointv between its ends, Vmeans attached to each end of the lever for moving it, said means comprising a cylinder, a piston located in the cylinder, a piston rod connected with each piston, the other ends of the piston rods being connected with'the ends of the lever, whereby the latter will rock on its pivot and move the pivot whenever either or both of the pistons are moved in the cylinders,

and means for latching the piston rods at the ends of their movement.l

4. A mechanism for moving a member for` adjusting its position, comprising, in combination, a movable pivot, means for transmitting movement from the pivot to the member to be adjusted, a lever attached to thek pivot at a point between its ends, means attached to each end of vthe lever for moving it, said means comprising a cylinder, a piston located in thecylinder, a piston rod connected with each piston, the other ends of the piston rods being connected with the ends of the lever whereby the latter will rock on its pivot and move the pivot whenever eitherl or both of the pistons are moved in the cylinders, means for latching the piston rodsy at the ends of their movement, and means for releasing the latching means after the piston has started on its return stroke.

JOSEPH P. RUTH. GEORGE H.v WOELBING. 

